Freewheeling kick-out upon reverse drive



Jun 29, 1937. E. A. ROCKWELL ET AL 2,085,606

rmanwnnmme KICK-OUT uron REVERSE DRIVE Filed April 12. 1953' :s Sheets-Sheet 1 lNvENToRs mad :1 v

ATT NEY June 29, 1937. E. A. ROCKWELL ET AL 2,035,606 I FREEWHEELING KICK-OUT UPON REVERSE DRIVE Filed April 112, 193:5 :5 Sheets-Sheet 2 L INVENTORS TTORNEY June 29, 1937. E. A. ROCKWELL ET AL. 2,035,606

' FREEWHEELING KICK-001 UPON REVERSE DRIVE Filed April 12, 1953 :s Sheets-Sheet s jNVENTO EM @flg r 9 Q, 2

ATTORNEY Patented June 29, 1931 G KICK-OUT UPON RIVER-BI DRIVE EdwardLBockwellandEdwinmEvam, Chlcage, 111.; said Rockwell assiguor, by memo assignments, to General Auto Parts Corporation, a corporation of Delaware Application April 12, 1933, send No. seam I 22 Claims. Our'invention relates particularly to a free wheeling apparatus for use with automotive engines in which there is provided a means for automatically throwing the free wheeling part of the apparatus out of action when the engine is driving in reverse.

The object of our invention 'is particularly 1. to obviate the necessity of throwing a free wheeling device out of action manually when the engine is driving in reverse, as, for example, on automobiles when the automobile is being driven backwardly. Our invention is applicable to all types of engines and transmissions of various types which may be equipped with any desired type of clutch or free wheeling apparatus. However, one object is to provide means whereby,

when the engine is driving in reverse, to cause the lag or drag on some element of the-mecha- .nism to eliminate the action of the free wheeling elements and bring about direct drive not involving the .free wheeling action. Still another 1 object is to utilize the lag or drag of some relai tively displaceable member, the position of which is adapted to determine the action or inaction of the freewheeling feature of the apparatus. The lag referred to may be, for example, caused by frictional contact between the elements of the mechanism; or may be caused, as in one em- 1 bodiment of our invention, by frictional engagement of one of the elements with the oil contained within the mechanism. Further objects 1 ofour invention will be observed from the detailed description of the same hereinafter.

While our invention is capable oi being em bodied in many different forms of apparatus, we

have shown only certain forms thereof in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a longitudinal vertical section of one form of our apparatus;

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section thereof 1 taken on line 22 of Fig. 1;

i Fig. 8 is an elevation of the free wheeling operating ring used in the form of our invention shown in Figs. 3 to "I;

Fig. 9 is a vertical longitudinal section of another modifled form of the invention;

Fig. 10 is .a cross-section through a portion thereon on line lU-IU of Fig. 9; and

Fig. 11 is an elevation of a detail thereof.

Referring to the form of our invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2, we have shown 'a shaft I adapted to be connected to the engine by any desired type of gear-shift mechanism having means for operating the shaft 1 in a clockwise direction 10 on the forward drive of the car, or in the opposite direction when driving in reverse. Said shaft is carried in usual bearings 2 supported in a housing 3 and maintained in place by a split ring I and a flanged ring 5. A separable two- 15 part casing B and I, provided with flanges 8 and 9 secured together in any desired manner, is adapted to enclose the clutch, free wheeling and keyed mechanism, a cover plate ill being provided on the upper part of the casing 6 and 1 to support a flexible pull and push rod i l, the outer end of which, notshown, is adapted to be located at any desired point for manual operation by the driver of an automobile; as, for example, on the dash of the car. The inner end of said flexible rod II passes into the cover i0 through the usual supporting parts and is flxedly secured within a slidable rod i2 having a downwardly directed arm I! tightly secured thereon for the purpose of, manually controlling the free wheeling mechanism. The said arm is is located within a grooved ring it having internal. teeth l5 which mesh with similar teeth it on a cupped ring ll rotatably mounted on a ring it splined to the shaft i and having teeth I9 adapted to mesh with the teeth IS on the grooved ring it, when said ring is moved to the left, in Fig. 1, into a position where the free wheeling is locked out of position. Adjacent to the cupped ring I1 there is an internal worm ring 20 having a left-hand thread 2| on the inner surface thereof to mesh with a similar external worm 22 on the ring l8. A loose ring 23 is also mounted on the shaft l adjacent to the worm ring 20, and is provided with a bushing 24, the same being held in place by a nut ring 25 and a nut 26. As will be seen in Fig. 2, the ring 23 provides the inner portion of the free wheeling mechanism by having three tapered peripheral recesses 21, each carrying a series of graduated rollers 28 5Q normally forced toward the narrow portion of the recess by a spacer 29 backed by a spring 30. These rollers 28 cooperate with the inside of a cup-shaped member 3i having a set of internal teeth :2 which mesh with the teeth It on the u ring II. The cupqhaped member 3| is carried on a usual stud shaft 33 having any desired with the worm of the inner worm 35a, said outer worm 35d being loosely splined to the friction disk 35. A sleeve 33c is also loosely splined to the shaft 33, on which sleeve 33e there is carried a ball-bearing! and a flanged ring 350 which contacts with an output yoke 33h on a cross-shaft 3 so as to transmit the force of the momentum of the carfrom one or the other of said worms, according to whether the car is moving forwardly or rearwardly, to the brakes of the car of any desired type. The casing 33 encloses these power brake parts, to the rear of which there are located a speedometer worm 33k, a driven shaft bearing "land ring closures 33m and 391: located around the end of a universal housing 33p.

In the operation of this form of our invention, when the shaft I is being driven forwardly by the engine, and when the free wheelingmechanism, comprising the ring 23, is not being utilized, the push rod II will have been withdrawn so as to bring the ring l4 into a position bridged between the iing l5 and the cupped ring l1 so that the drive will then take place through the ring I. and the ring I! and the cup-shaped member 3| to the shaft 33. When the free wheeling device is to be made operable the rod II is pushed inwardly so as to shift the grooved ring l4 away from the ring ll until it overlies the cupped ring l1, whereupon the worms 2i and 22 will cause the ring 23 to fit tightly against the free wheeling ring 23 so that the drive will take place from the shaft I through the ring l5, worm ring 25, free wheeling ring 23 and cup-shaped member 3| to the shaft 33. Should the speed of the engine thereafter be slower than the momentum of the car, the cup-shaped member will be free to rotate faster than the free wheeling ring 23, thereby backing the rollers 23 into the wider portion of their recessm and permitting the car, thus, to proceed under its own momentum without retardation from the engine. When, however, the car is to be driven in reverse, and while the free wheeling mechanism is, thus, set to be operative .in a forward direction, the shaft I will be rotated in the anti-clockwise direction, thus causing the worm ring 20 to be backed away from the free wheeling ring 23 and thus clamping the worm xing'2ll to the cupped ring l1,

whereupon the drive will take place through the shaft I from the ring II, the worm ring 20, the cupped ring I! and the cup-shaped member 3| to the shaft 33. In this way the apparatus acts as an automatic kick-off to throw the free wheeling mechanism out of action when the car is driven in reverse, without requiring any manual setting of the free wheeling elements.

In the modification of our invention as shown in Figs. 3 to 5 and 8, the construction is the same as in the preceding form of our invention except as follows: In this instance the arm l3, which is provided for controlling the free wheeling operation, extends into a grooved ring 33, which is provided with a series of radial vanes 40 adapted 4. Said ring 42 has three sets of free wheelingrollers, graduated in size, 43, 44 and 45 Each is carried within one ofthree peripherally tapered recesses 45, 41 and 45 and is normally urged toward the smaller portion of the recesses by spacers 49, 55 and 5| backed by springs 52,

53 and 54, respectively. At the smaller end of each of these tapered recesses there is provided a block member 55 having two wedging surfaces 55 and 51 with an intervening notch 55 so that the block member 55 is enabled to cooperate with a restraining member 59 having similar wedging surfaces 55 and 5i. The restraining members 59 are secured by means of nuts 52 to the grooved ring 39, a retaining ring 53 being located between the grooved ring 39 and the free wheeling ring 42 to retain the different sets of rollers in place. It will be noted that the restraining member 59 is located in a very wide recess so as to leave a space 54' for the restraining member 59 to be rotatably retracted. from the block member 55 when the car, is driven in reverse in the manner hereinafter described. Furthermore, as will be noted in Fig. 4, the free wheeling ring 42 has three additional sets of graduated rollers 55, 55 and 51, backed by spacers 58, 59 and 10, which are arranged to normally move the sets of rollers 55, 55 and 51 into the narrow end of the recesses by the force of the springs 52, 53 and 54. All of these graduated sets of rollers 43, 44 and 45 and 55, 55 and 51 cooperate with the inner face of a cup-shaped member Illa formed at the end of the shaft 33 and having a roller retaining ring lllb secured between the same and the free wheeling ring 42.

The modified form of the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 provides a construction exactly the same as shown in Figs. 3 and 5 except that instead of the block 55 and the restraining member 59 there is used a slotted restraining member ll having a triangular slot 12 with a lateral recess 13 to cooperate with a pin 14 carried by the free wheeling ring 42, said restraining member 1| being secured in any desired way to the grooved ring 39. Behind each of the restraining members H there is furthermore provided a recess 15 for the purpose hereinafter described.

In the operation of the form of our invention as shown in Figs. 3 to 5 and 8, when the shaft i is being driven forwardly and the free wheeling mechanism is moved to the position where it is in inoperative position, the grooved ring 39 will have been moved to the left of Fig. 3 by means of the manual push rod ll, thus engaging the inclined surfaces 55 and 8| with the inclined surfaces 56 and 51 by the lateral movement of the restraining member 59. The free wheeling ring 42 will then be tightly clamped to the cup-shaped member 15a in either direction of rotation by means of the different sets of rollers 43, 44 and 45 and 55, 55 and 51. When, however, the free wheeling apparatus is to be made operable the push rod II is pushed downwardly so as to shift the grooved ring 39 to the right of Fig. 3, thereby forcing the blocks 55 towards the wide ends of the recesses for the rollers in the free wheeling ring 42, where they are retained in this position by the relative positions of the blocks 55 and 59, as

shown in Fig. 5. In this position of the parts, should the momentum of the car overrun the speed of the engine or should the engine speed be decreased below the speed of the car, the automobile will be able to proceed at a higher speed relative to the speed of the engine owing to thelimited movement permitted for the sets of rollers", 44 and 48. In this position of the parts,

however, should the shaft I be operated in reverseddirection, as when driving the car rearwardly, there'will be a lag in the grooved ring 88 due to the slow movement of the vanes 48 within the body of oil in the casing 8 and'1, thus moving the restraining members 88 back into the spaces 84 and thus freeing the blocks 88 from control of the adjacent series of rollers. In this way the free wheeling ring 42 will again become locked by friction to the cup-shaped member 180, thus throwing the free wheeling elements out of operation.

The modified form of the restraining members shown in Figs. 6 and 7 operates the same as the form shown in Fig. 5, except that in this instance the restraining member 1| will hold the rollers adjacent thereto out of locking position except when the push rod II is moved to the left, when i the extension recess 13 will overlie the pin 14, and

except that when the car is moving forwardly and the parts are in free wheeling position, as shown in Fig. '1. When the car thereafter is driven in reverse, the lag of the grooved ring 38 i will cause the restraining member 1i to be moved rearwardly intothe space 15, thus causing the adjacent rollers to lock the free wheeling ring 42a tothe cup-shaped member 18a.

It will be noted that in addition to the drag of the oil that the friction of co'ntrol arm l3 in the groove of the member 38 will also act so as to cause a lag in the movement of the member 38 as long as the shaft l is rotating. Should this shaft cease to rotate then the oil drag within the cup-shaped member 18a will be sufficient to re-engage the rollersand permitthe shaft 33 to pick up the shaft l and therefore turn the engine 'over should it have become stalled and therefore fail to continue to rotate the shaft I.

InFigs. 9, 10 and 11 is shown a further modiflcation of the free wheeling mechanism. A

. cupped or driven member 18 of the free wheeling unit is slidably splined to adriven shaft 11, while a driving or inner member 18 is slidably splined to a driving shaft 19, the splines on the driving and driven shaft being of the same dimensions.

To effect a manual lockout of the free wheeling frictlon'devioe the entire free wheeling unit is slid to the right by means of a finger 88 engaging a groove 8| in the driven member 16, causing the inner driving member 18 to engage the splines'on the driven shaft 11, thus forming a direct driving connection between the driving shaft 19 and the f driven shaft 11. The driven shaft 11 is supported on a pilot bearing 82 in a recess 83 in the driving shaft 19. i

The normal free wheeling drive operates through flattened rollers 84, spaced apart inan annular recess 85 by spacer rollers 86. The fiattened rollers 84 extend outwardly to the left, Fig.

9, and contain transverse slots in which are fixed rocking levers 81. A flat disk or ring 88, having guiding slots 88a allowing limited rotation, on

extensions 88 of the rollers 84, engages the rocking levers 81 through forks 90. Paddles 8| are fixed to the disk 88, so as to engage the lubricating oil,as set forth in the previous description.

. In the operation of the device in Figs. 9, 10 and 11, as the driving member 18 revolves it tends to carry the rollers with it and thus to revolve the disk 88' through the levers 81. The revolution of the disk 88 is resisted byythe drag of the oil on the paddles 8i, causing the forks 88 to rock the levers 81, as shown in Fig. 11, thus bringing the flattened faces of the rollers 84 into camming relation with the driven ring 14. The rollers 84 wedge between the driving ring 18 and the driven ring 18, giving a positive drive in the counterclockwise or forward direction, as shown in Fig. 11. An increase of speed of the driven ring 13 over the driver 18 disengages the camming surfaces and free wheeling occurs. In reverse. the reverse motion of the disk 88 is resisted by the oil. rocking the levers 81 and bringing the rollers 84 into camming action to drive positively in the reverse direction in the same manner as described above.

While we have described our invention above in detail we wish it to be understood that many changesmay be made therein without departing from the spirit of the same.

We claim:

1. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly including driving and driven members. a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing th free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward driving thereof, adapted to drive rearwardly by fric tional engagement between the driving and driven members, comprising a roller restraining element.

2. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled.

4. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled.

5. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the 8. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on .the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into andout of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof,

comprising a roller restraining element, having a series of flns, adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled.

7. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatusout of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, having a series of fins, adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled and a block between the restraining element and the rollers.

8. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, having a series of fins, adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled and a block between the restraining element and the rollers.

9. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a freewheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, having a series of fins, adapted to be actuated by the retarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled and a block between the restraining element and the rollers, said restraining element and block having coacting wedging surfaces. I

10. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, having a series of fins, adapted to be actuated by the re tarding action of a body of oil by which it is controlled and a block between the restraining element and the rollers, said restraining element and block having coacting wedging surfaces.

11. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element adapted to be rotatably retracted from said rollers by driving in reverse.

12. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardlyor rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element adapted to be rotatably retracted from said rollers by driving in reverse.

13. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for th owing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, said free wheeling apparatus containing also a roller and pocket operative in the opposite direction to the firstmentioned roller in order to provide for a positive drive in reverse.

14. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus cpntaining a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, said free wheeling apparatus containing also a roller and pocket operative in the opposite direction to the first-mentioned roller in order to provide for a positive drive in reverse.

15. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, said free wheeling apparatus containing also a roller and pocket operative in the opposite direction to the first-mentioned roller in order to provide for a positive drive in reverse, the two rollers having coacting spring-pressed spacers.

16. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, in-

cluding a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element, said free wheeling apparatus containing also a roller and pocket operative in the opposite direction to the first-mentioned roller in order to provide for a positive drive in reverse, the two rollers having coacting spring-pressed spacers.

1'7. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element in the form of an ele- 18. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, ineluding a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out ofoperation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element in the form of an element with a slot eluding a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of opera-- tion by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element in the form of s i j an element with a slot having a pin engagement with the free wheeling apparatus and adapted to be thrown into non-restraining position by driving in reverse.

20. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, in-

' i the forward drivethereof, means for throwing eluding a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocketv therefor adapted to grip on the free wheeling apparatus into and out of operative position manually during, the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element in the form of an element with a slot having a pin engagement with the free wheeling apparatus and adapted to be thrown into nonrestraining position by driving in reverse.

21. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, in-

cluding a free wheeling apparatus containing a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element adapted to be locked manually into non-restraining position.

s 22. An automotive device comprising means for driving the same forwardly or rearwardly, including a free wheeling apparatuscontaining a roller and pocket therefor adapted to grip on the forward drive thereof, mea for throwing the free wheeling apparatus l'into and out of operative position manually during the forward drive and means for throwing the free wheeling apparatus out of operation by the rearward drive thereof, comprising a roller restraining element. adapted to be locked manually into non-restraining position.

EDWARD A. ROCKWELL. EDWIN R. EVANS. 

